Sahay Solar Solutions – Ethiopia

Swiss Partners

Sahay Solar Solutions GmbH, Winterthur,
www.sahay-solar.com;
Max Pohl

ISAAC-SUPSI, Canobbio,
www.supsi.ch,
Roman Rudel

Project Type:

Education and Quality Control

Technology:

Photovoltaics

Country:

Ethiopia

Project Status:

Completed

Project Start:

2010

End of Project:

2012

Contract:

2010.02

Documentation

Swiss Contribution

The Ethiopian partner has extensive technical as well as entrepreneurial Know-How available through the Swiss University SUPSI and the Swiss non-profit corporation Sahay Solar.

Description

The composition of self-supporting educational and marked structures in the field of solar energy is the common goal of the Arba Minch University (AMU) in Ethiopia, the University of Applied Sciences of the Italian Swiss (SUPSI) in Lugano, and the Sahay Solar Solutions GmbH.

The first step in this direction was the foundation of an Ethiopian solar technology competence center at AMU. The competence center contains an appropriately equipped solar laboratory for research and training, as well as a renewable energy chair which was set up for students’ and technicians’ professional education. Parallel to the competence center, a social company concept for the realization of solar electrification projects was developed; in order to successively generate jobs for the educated experts and allow the initiative’s sustainable development, independent of third party funds.